The behavior of the tit in the spring. Bird behavior in winter. Fun Exercises "The Singers Are Back"
Watching birds, you can see how regularly their activity changes according to the seasons of the year. This change reflects an increase or decrease in the level of vital activity, depending on which phase of the annual cycle the bird's body enters in this period. It is hard-coded for several such phases, and bird behavior, even their appearance is so dependent on the time of year that it seems as if we are dealing with different creatures: in winter - with some, in summer - with others. In winter, the activity of birds is significantly reduced and has only one purpose - to get food.
Sexual differences between birds in winter seem to be absent. Males and females are practically indistinguishable from each other until the onset of spring. And only before the arrival of spring, males become brightly colored in order to attract females with their appearance (in the world of people - everything is the other way around!).
These changes are easy to see by looking at to house sparrows. In winter, the male is only slightly brighter than the female, his outfit is dull and discreet. By spring, a black “tie” and a “handkerchief” on the head looms brightly on the gray foyer. Since autumn, this costume was hidden under the brownish-gray tips of the feathers, and with the advent of the “spring of light”, the tips were worn out, and elegant plumage, which is called the wedding dress, was exposed.
The closer the spring, the more the behavior of birds changes. friendly flocks of tits, common on the feeders in winter, suddenly cease to be interested in them. Quarrels arise between males. The flocks begin to melt, and now only a couple of tits are found - a male and a female. Spring brings confusion to sparrow companies. Here and there on the melted asphalt there are collective quarrels. It is often thought that these are males fighting. But look at this "fight". In the center of the company sits a gray female and distributes blows to the "boyfriends" crowding around. To win her favor, the male must first find a place for the future nest and show the female. None of the homeless males enjoys her favor.
They behave quite differently in the spring. crawl. In winter, they do not tolerate their own kind. Both males and females keep aloof from each other. A flock of tits, as a rule, is accompanied by one nuthatch. The same can be said about woodpeckers. When two birds meet, fights usually break out. In spring, the situation gradually changes: the male and female stop avoiding each other, sometimes short skirmishes are still possible between them, but in general, mutual attraction is noticeable. The general excitement is also expressed in the new spring sounds. The aggressive jerky gurgling of the nuthatch turns into an inviting loud whistle, for which they are called "coachmen". Sometimes the male starts gurgling at the female, and then, as if recollecting himself, switches to whistling without interruption.
Even earlier, in quiet gray January days, big tits begin to publish a characteristic double tinkling, anticipating the song. That's what it's called - a subsong. With the onset of sunny days, in late January - early February, it turns into the first spring song of the Central Russian forest. Spring notes can be heard in croaking crow, and in chirping sparrows- this is also a kind of singing, spring current. woodpecker shot also carries the functions of a song and refers to instrumental sounds in which the voice does not participate.
The day is lengthening and bird activity continues to rise. Having united in pairs, they begin to occupy strictly defined areas of the forest, which will later become the vicinity of the nest. In many birds, the male first chooses a place for the nest, and then leads the female to it. If she does not like the future apartment, the male has to look for a new one. This is what sparrows, starlings, woodpeckers do. Male great spotted woodpecker with a special slow flight attracts the female in the vicinity of the future hollow, which then he himself hammers. Frequent drum rolls serve as a warning to a possible rival, as well as a display of bright white tail feathers and a powerful beak elongated with black “whiskers” presented to the enemy. Quarrels often arise between males when establishing boundaries of plots. They can be observed finches, whose males return from wintering earlier than females and divide the territory into nesting areas. Only when they are divided do the males begin to sing, declaring their right to the area and their readiness to accept the future "mistress". This is the case with most birds. But there are exceptions.
When one male has many females, capercaillie, black grouse, many waders,- only the female chooses the nesting site. The same is the case with ducks, in which the couple does not last very long, only until the end of the laying of eggs by the female. Then the males gather in flocks and leave to molt in "strong", hard-to-reach, hidden places or in open water.
At colonial birds areas are extremely small. Gull considers “hers” such a piece of land, to the border of which she can reach with her beak without leaving the nest. Kitten gulls make their nests on narrow ledges, where one bird can barely fit. However, bickering with neighbors in their bazaars is a common thing. In the colonies murre And penguins, where the birds are placed "shoulder to shoulder", there are no sites at all. For many years in a row there are nesting sites for birds that unite in pairs for life - swans, geese, storks, ravens, birds of prey. These birds occupy large territories - up to several square kilometers.
Birds that fly away or swim away for food especially far from nesting sites often do not have individual sites at all. The main reason for the total is the division of the nesting territory and food supply. This is how settlements were formed in the process of evolution colonial birds - rooks, swallows, gulls, some thrushes. For example, song thrush, gathering food in the forest, protects a vast area around the nest, which also serves as a feeding area. A blackbirds flying to feed from the forest, where their nests are located, to the fields, consider almost only the tree on which the nest is located as “their own”. Therefore, fieldfare nests are much more closely spaced than nests of other thrush species. Their settlements are approaching a real colony. The advantages of this way of life are obvious - it is a collective defense against enemies. under protection colonial birds many solitary nesters also feel safe. For example, nests of ducks, coots, waders predators are not afraid if there is a noisy seagull settlement.
After determining the boundaries of the site, all the energy of the birds, which is very high at this time of the year, is directed to building a nest. This is one of the most unique and
complex forms of behavior characteristic of birds. Let's give some examples. Male song thrush collects rotten wood and sawdust from rotten stumps in the forest. This mass
soaked with water or saliva, he passes to the female. She puts sawdust on the bottom of the future nest and smears them with her breasts on the walls, rotating like a top. After repeated plastering, the nest dries for several days, and then the female begins to lay eggs.
Thrush and his nest
Inhabitants of the northern sea islands - dead ends- dig pores in soft soil with paws and a powerful flat beak. puffin colony is deep underground. Burrows are long - up to 3 m - and winding, at the end with a nesting chamber. The passages of neighboring holes merge, forming an underground bird city. The soil is so well dug up and abundantly fertilized every year that the local flora receives excellent conditions for development. Such bright flowers, as on puffin colonies, are not found anywhere else among the sparse northern vegetation.
puffin colony
chickadees they themselves pluck a nesting hollow in the soft wood of rotten aspens or birches. These are the only tits that can build their own home. It takes more than two weeks for a pair of chickadees to build.
biological nest value in the life of birds huge. The laid eggs, and then the hatched chicks, are placed in it very compactly, and this is not accidental - this is how the most favorable conditions for the development of offspring are created. The eggs are arranged in it so that they occupy the smallest possible surface. This is especially noticeable waders. Their four large pear-shaped eggs lie in the nest hole so that the incubating female just covers them with her body. The nest material itself provides optimal temperature conditions for the development of eggs, and then chicks. The latter is especially important because babies nestling birds unable to maintain a constant body temperature. Lying in a tight pile, they resist cooling more easily. Grown up chicks completely occupy the entire cup of the nest, which also contributes to the preservation of heat. The main role in maintaining the temperature in the nest is played by the incubating female.
The life of birds depends on the change of seasons and is strictly subject to natural cycles, and winter is the most difficult period in the life of birds.
Wildlife observations will show how the behavior of wintering birds has changed with the approach of spring.
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Wintering birds and the approach of spring
Following the changes in the behavior of wintering birds, one can find signs of the approaching spring: on clear sunny February days, the sonorous singing of tits is heard, crows come to life, and a woodpecker's shot is heard in the forest. However, the main sign of the onset of spring is the arrival of rooks.
In March, wintering birds change their behavior to a more noticeable one: long-tailed tits bask in the sun for a long time and new spring notes appear in their singing. With the approach of spring, the birds begin to prepare for the nesting period, so new "songs" can be heard even from wintering jays and magpies.
With the appearance of the first thawed patches and the snow melting from the fields, a mass arrival of migratory birds begins and a noticeable revival and fuss begin in the "bird kingdom". Wintering birds and newcomers are actively looking for a place to nest. With the approach of spring, the birds begin the mating period - the bird chirping is heard louder and more cheerfully.
bird watching
It is best to observe the change in the behavior of birds at the forest edges - the forest is still covered with snow, but the snow has already melted at the edge. In the evenings, wintering birds gather in flocks (it is still cold at night).
The evening air is filled with bird din and chirping, and in the daytime, on the forest edges, the coming spring has prepared natural feeders for birds - thawed patches.
Spring storms and temporary returns of cold weather bring birds back to winter. Their behavior changes: they again reach for the human dwelling - they fly in small flocks from tree to tree and spring songs are not heard in their twitter.
By the end of April, most wintering birds have already laid eggs in their nests.
By observing nature, you can see the first news of the approach of spring even by how the behavior of birds wintering in our area changes.
In latitudes with a cold and temperate climate, seasonal phenomena in nature are well expressed.
During the year, here the duration of the light part of the day and the intensity of illumination, temperature and humidity change sharply, the variety and quantity of food, and the possibility of obtaining it change significantly. Thus, the life of birds takes place in conditions of a periodically changing environment. Periodic changes in the environment (weather, protective conditions, food supply, etc.) determine the rhythm of the states of the bird's body that naturally follow each other. This periodicity forms seasonal changes in the level and nature of metabolism, behavior, which are formed in the annual cycle of life. The whole life of birds is subject to seasonal patterns. However, the time of onset, duration and forms of manifestation of the individual phases of the cycle are not the same as in different types(which depends on food specialization, the duration of egg incubation and chick growth, and other ecological features), and in individuals of the same species located in different geographical areas or different habitats.
In the annual life cycle, the following main periods can be distinguished: preparation for breeding (occurring in our birds in the spring), breeding (end of spring, summer), preparation for winter (autumn), wintering. Only during the breeding season, when birds are busy guarding their nesting sites, building nests, laying and incubating eggs, feeding chicks, are both colonial and solitary nesting species firmly associated with a certain territory. At this time, each pair stays in one place, and the entire bird population, subject to strict rules of territorial relations, is more or less evenly dispersed over the forest area. It is not difficult to count the birds at this time by going several times along a certain route and marking the individuals encountered on the site plan. However, this period of "immobility" of birds ends when the young birds, fully feathered, having acquired the ability to fly, begin an independent life. Relations between adults and young birds at this time are interrupted (with rare exceptions) and, having huddled in flocks or singly, they begin to move through the forests, gradually moving further and further away from their native places. Such post-breeding movements usually coincide with seasonal (autumn) habitat changes. Reducing the duration of the light part of the day, reducing the intensity of daylight, lowering the air temperature significantly impair the ability of birds to find food; the same reasons cause the cessation of growth and vegetation of most plants, their gradual transition to a state of rest, "leaving" insects and other invertebrates for wintering. Thus, the pre-existing forage base of birds is also sharply reduced: coarsened leaves and stems, dried flowers lose their food value; invertebrates hiding in the soil, under moss and in other places become inaccessible to most birds, and insect clutches (lepidoptera and many others, which complete their development cycle by the end of summer and die after laying eggs) due to the large dispersal in space and small the size of eggs is an energetically low-value food. Under these conditions (when, in addition, the reduced length of the day reduces the duration of foraging during the day), the opportunities for providing food within the nesting area in birds are noticeably reduced, which encourages them to expand their foraging outside their territory. Of certain importance, apparently, is the reduction within a limited area of food reserves due to its "eating" over a long period from the construction of the nest to the departure of chicks from it. This is how seasonal migrations begin, according to the nature of which birds are usually divided into sedentary, nomadic and migratory.
Sedentary forest birds include hazel grouse, capercaillie, black grouse and some others, as a rule, well provided with winter food.
After breeding, these birds move quite widely in search of food and shelters, without moving away, however, a long distance from their "native" places. For example, in the forests of the center of the European part of our country, the hazel grouse roams in a limited space, reaching up to 800 km 2; black grouse flies in autumn and winter to 50 - 60 km from their nesting sites; capercaillie flies away from the places of withdrawal for more than 100-120 km. The gray crow settled here only partially (not counting the urban populations that now nest in the city itself and along its outskirts). Separate old individuals remain near settlements not far from their nests, while the majority of young birds, as banding shows, migrate far to the south-west, they are replaced by individuals that have arrived from the north and north-east.
Nomadic birds are birds that leave the places where they nested, and in search of food, the available reserves of which are sharply reduced with the onset of cold weather, and especially after snowfall, they constantly move, often ending up in forest biotopes that are uncharacteristic for them, flying out to meadows, fields, outskirts of villages, etc., moving away from their nesting sites for hundreds of kilometers. Migratory birds include some species of tits, partly common pika and common nuthatch, crossbills, bullfinch, waxwing, jay, and many others.
The movement of sedentary birds and the rather distant migrations of nomads are an adaptation for expanding food production. However, at the end of summer and autumn, the amount of available food (in particular, insects) is reduced so much that many non-migratory species switch to eating berries, seeds, which become abundant in the autumn-winter period, and also vegetative food (buds, needles, etc.). .).
Thus, the animal foods that prevailed in the summer period in the diet of birds are being replaced by plant foods, which are most abundant in autumn and winter and are available to birds that are sedentary and roaming in our forests at this time of the year.
The calculations made show that the majority of species of forest birds that are able to change the composition of food lead a sedentary and semi-sedentary lifestyle or undertake migrations, as a rule, not beyond the forest zone of our country. For example, among the birds nesting in the north-west of the Moscow region, the change of food is characteristic of 100% of the species of sedentary birds, 86% of semi-sedentary, 64% of nomadic and only 18% of migratory birds.
In search of seeds and other plant foods, birds move to those forests where this food is more abundant in the autumn-winter period: the birds are redistributed by habitat.
Migratory birds include most of the forest birds of our country: pigeons, cuckoo, nightjar, forest pipit, redstart, nightingale, robin, warblers, warblers, warblers and many other birds, which in winter are unable to obtain characteristic food (usually insects) in summer habitats, nor switch to other food. After breeding, such birds leave their homeland and make a long flight measured in hundreds and sometimes thousands of kilometers (usually in a southerly direction) to their wintering grounds. On wintering grounds, migratory birds spend the whole winter without making more or less significant movements, and only in spring they start their way back to the north - to nesting sites.
The protective and feeding conditions for birds in the forest are much better and more diverse than in open spaces, and therefore, despite the departure of migratory birds to the south, the diversity and abundance of birds in the winter forest is relatively high. However, even in forests, the species composition and population density of birds change significantly with the seasons of the year.
The change of food (transition to plant food) in the autumn-winter period leads to a change in the ways of obtaining food and, ultimately, to the movement of birds from the biotopes where they kept in the summer to more forage forest areas in autumn and winter. At this time, birds often visit places where they were not in the summer due to the lack of suitable nesting conditions.
In autumn, most birds are found in bushes, along forest edges, in mixed forests, especially near glades, along clearings and forest roads, in sparse areas of forest stands. As the leaves fall, the diversity and abundance of birds in deciduous forests decreases in parallel with the deterioration of food and protective conditions. Such an uneven distribution of birds, for example, in the forests of the Moscow and Kalinin regions, becomes noticeable already at the end of July.
In the most fodder, with good protective conditions, broods of birds moving through the neighboring forest begin to meet as early as late June - early July, eventually flocks appear. Living in a pack has undoubted advantages: together it is easier to find food and avoid enemies. A bird that stays outside the flock spends more time observing the surroundings, but it is still easier for a predator to attack it than to approach the flock unnoticed. Therefore, single birds feed less and are less well-fed than individuals in flocks. Tap dances, bullfinches, waxwings, thrushes, tits and many other species, which make up the vast majority of the bird population of the forest in autumn and winter, are found exclusively in flocks.
The flocking way of life of the main part of the birds determines their uneven - spotted (congregational) placement in the forest starting from the end of summer. Such spotting becomes especially noticeable in winter: you can walk more than one kilometer through a snow-covered forest and not see a single bird, and then meet a large flock of titmouse and hear how brown-headed chickadees and crested tits call to each other, kinglets squeak, rustle, moving up the trunk , a pika, to see a small spotted woodpecker flashing in the crown of a pine tree, a Muscovite hanging on the end of a spruce paw, or a nuthatch walking upside down.
From the end of summer and all autumn, birds nesting to the north migrate to the south. In the forests of the middle zone of the European part of the USSR, many of these migrants often stay for a long time in suitable places. Since they do not fly all at once, the "wave" of early leaving nesting species is replaced by "waves" of later migrants, and in autumn the diversity and abundance of birds in the forests undergo constant and rapid changes. Simultaneously with the migration, a mass departure of local migratory birds begins. Only at the end of autumn - the beginning of winter, when in the forests, for example, in the center of the European part of our country, Muscovy titmouse, bullfinches, tap-dancing, waxwings, who migrated here from more northern places of their range, begin to regularly come across - they say that the winter aspect of the aviation fauna has been established.
Only in mid-November - early December, the winter aspect of the avifauna in the Moscow region is established. Out of almost three hundred species and forms of birds recorded in this region, 92 (about 32%) are found in winter, of which only 27 are caught here annually. This (in descending order of numbers) is the rock dove, house and field sparrow, hoodie, brown-headed tit, yellow-headed kinglet, bullfinch, crested tit, common tap dance, siskin, great and long-tailed tit, common bunting, common nuthatch, jackdaw, great spotted woodpecker, jay, magpie, common pika, hazel grouse, sparrowhawk, sparrowhawk, small spotted woodpecker, gray shrike, black grouse and capercaillie, horn-legged owl. Most species of winter avifauna are birds of trees and shrubs. With the establishment of the winter aspect of the avifauna in the forests, the population ratio certain types(until spring, when birds start migrating to nesting sites) remains more or less constant. There is only a slight decrease in the total number of birds, mainly due to their increased mortality during this period. However, the non-periodic appearances in huge numbers of such “stray” species as crossbills, moskovka, field thrush, as well as tap dance, siskin and others, make drastic changes in the usual ratio of the population of individual bird species wintering in the forests of the Moscow region. Sometimes already in October the number of crossbills in spruce forests exceeds 10% of the total bird population; in November, the number of Muscovites in coniferous forests, respectively, can be 8-12%. In such years, the proportion of the population of "vagrant" species in winter is very high: in 1958 in the western suburbs of Moscow, for example, in January-February, tap dances accounted for 50-70% of the population of small-leaved forests, crossbills - 25-40% in coniferous forests (50% - in mature spruce forests).
Usually, in taiga and mixed forests, the main part of wintering birds are herbivorous and mixed-feeding species; insectivores make up less than a quarter of the avifauna. However, in forests and park stands adjacent to settlements, where it is easier for birds to feed, there are much more species that remain to winter. In parks and forest stands on the outskirts of Moscow, Leningrad, Kalinin and other cities in the middle zone, rooks, common starlings and even myna regularly winter. In such places, the number of birds in winter is very high. According to the observations of M. G. Sorokin, in a tall sparse pine forest in the suburbs of Kalinin, where residents visiting the forest systematically feed animals, the bird population density in winter (368-407 ind. / km 2) is only slightly lower than in the nesting period (432 ind. / km 2 ), although the species composition is much poorer (14 and 35 species, respectively).
In addition to the listed seasonal changes, there is also a redistribution of birds between forests of different composition of the stand. If during the nesting period, small-leaved forests are slightly inferior to coniferous forests in terms of the abundance of birds (and in broad-leaved forests, especially oak forests, the abundance of birds in spring and summer is noticeably higher than in coniferous forests), then in winter the bird population density in coniferous forests is approximately twice as high as in deciduous forests. . Thus, most of the bird population of forests in winter is concentrated in coniferous stands (especially in spruce forests), which create maximum feeding and protective conditions for most bird species. Thus, seasonal changes in the feathered world in the forest are very deep and have a qualitative character.
At the end of winter, small movements (from roosting to feeding grounds) of migratory birds and non-directional movements of nomadic birds gradually develop into directed migrations to breeding areas. At the end of winter and in spring, for example, in the forests of the central zone of the USSR, one can see how birds that have migrated from the north (wintered) gradually disappear and migratory and nesting birds appear.
The general patterns of seasonal changes in the distribution and abundance of birds are well illustrated by detailed observations made in the Central Black Earth zone. Of the 269 bird species recorded in the Middle Don region, about 60 (22.3%) winter. These are settled and nomadic in winter, as well as species that have arrived from the north (large and small spotted woodpeckers, common pika, great and long-tailed tits). Most species of winter avifauna are birds of trees and shrubs. However, not all types of forests can provide conditions for the existence of birds in winter.
Pine forests (especially young ones) of the Middle Don region are very poorly populated by birds. In winter, only wandering flocks of tits (mainly large and chickadees), yellow-headed kinglet, common pika, and great spotted woodpecker are common here. Sometimes there are spruce crossbills, and along wide clearings - small flocks of common buntings, brisks, tap dances.
In contrast to pure pine forests, the mixed forest is richest in birds throughout the winter. In addition to species found in pine forests, hawks, the common owl, the common nuthatch, the Muscovite and the wren are common here. Almost always you can meet tap and siskin, bullfinches, and at the edges - gray shrike. In a pure-leaved forest, the same species are found as in a mixed one, but their numbers are much lower. Kinglets and crossbills avoid these stands, while long-tailed tits prefer them.
Bullfinches, siskins and tap dances constantly keep in the thickets along the banks of forest rivers. Grey-headed, white-backed and lesser spotted woodpeckers, as well as green lazarevka, are common here; more often than in other places, hawks, tawny owls and gray shrike are found in winter. In some years, ducks hibernate on non-freezing sections of rivers.
In the spring, long before the arrival of the first rooks, the behavior of wintering birds shows signs of the coming revival of nature. On frosty February nights in the old forest, the mating cries of owls and owls are heard, and on windless sunny days, the singing of great tits and the drumming of the great spotted woodpecker can be heard far away. In the first ten days of March, snow buntings and Lapland plantains begin to fly north, and after them, flocks of wintered siskins, bullfinches, and tap dances set off on their way to the north. The behavior of long-tailed tits changes dramatically - they, like other wintering birds, begin to prepare for the breeding season. At this time, jays and magpies “sing”, making quiet unhurried chirping and other sounds that do not at all fit with their usual rough cries. In the middle - end of March, starlings, linnets, and a little later, larks, long-eared owl, common kestrel and other daytime birds of prey arrive in the Middle Don; the arrival of waterfowl begins, concentrating in the floodplains of forest rivers. Here, flocks of migrating fieldfare and other thrushes and starlings stop to rest on the trees half-flooded by the flood. There is still a lot of snow in the forest at this time, but the slopes of the floodplain are already free of it, so it is along the banks of forest rivers and lakes that you can hear the first songs of robins, blackbirds and songbirds in the evening dawns, and see the first draft of woodcocks. In the forest swamps, the voices of gray cranes are heard, and black sandpipers rush over the water with screams. The floodplain forest is already full of sonorous trills of finches, songs of common bunting and greenfinch, and hawks - goshawk and sparrowhawk - lie in wait for their prey in coastal thickets. In mid-April, such attraction of forest birds to floodplains fades. In the depths of the forest you can already hear the ringing drops of the chiffchaff, near the clearings and in the sparse areas of the forest - the singing of forest pipits, and a huge number of willow warblers scurry along the edges in the bushes. In the forest at this time there is a mass of migrating white-browed thrushes, vertices.
At the end of April, the passage of waterfowl stops, the number of shorebirds migrating to the north decreases; the migration of small forest insectivorous birds (flycatchers, rattlestripes, etc.) begins; From time to time, a cold snap stops their further movement to breeding places, and then a huge number of birds accumulate in gardens, ravine forests, shelterbelts for one to two weeks. But the bad weather passes, and the mass of feathered wanderers leaves their temporary shelters, which then seem empty, despite the significant number of birds remaining in their nesting places.
In early May, turtledoves, red-footed falcons, nightjars, and cuckoos appear in the forests of the Middle Don. The almost complete absence of migratory, non-nesting bird species is characteristic. The last, by the time the trees and shrubs are fully leafed, the lush development of herbaceous vegetation (giving shelter to early insects that feed on most of the birds arriving in the first half of May), are splyuska, oriole, lentils, shrikes, warblers, warblers, sand martin.
By the end of the migration (the second decade of May), the nesting fauna of the Middle Don region is already almost fully formed: in most species, incubation is in progress, in some, nestlings are fed, and in some, fledglings appear. A short period of relative stability of the composition of the avifauna begins, lasting until the second decade of June. During this period, all nesting birds are firmly attached to the breeding grounds. The species composition of birds in comparison with the winter period is much more diverse. But already in the first half of June, many songbirds fall silent, and the forest is filled with alarming cries of adult birds, worried about their barely flitting chicks, and the squeak of the chicks themselves, begging for food from adults.
In many bird species, attachment to nesting sites is partially or completely lost within a few days after the departure of the young. For example, starlings leave the forest stand where they nested and move to the floodplains, returning to the nearest plantations only to spend the night; rooks roam widely in the fields during the day, returning to their rookeries only at night. Other birds (tits), after the chicks leave the nest, stay close to the nesting places for a long time. And such late nesting species as lentil, shrike, black-fronted shrike, garden bunting, begin to migrate to the south soon after the emergence of the young. In the second half of June, in the floodplains of forest rivers, broods of the grosbeak come across, feeding on fruits in the thickets of bird cherry. A little later (in July) wandering broods of ducks and kingfishers appear here. At the end of July, along the forest edges, roads, clearings, you can meet flocks of finches and small flocks of goldfinches.
The autumn aspect of the avifauna of the Middle Don region, which is characterized by its radical restructuring, is somewhat similar to the spring one. Both of them are formed by flying, sedentary, migratory and wintering species; in spring and autumn, the dynamism of the species composition of the avifauna, significant changes occurring in a short time in the bird population, are pronounced. But there are noticeable differences between the autumn and spring aspects of the avifauna.
The period of autumn departure and migration is more extended than the period of spring migration and arrival, and occurs in the reverse order to that which happens in spring: the first to leave the Middle Don region are those species of birds that arrived among the last in spring. However, there is no such clear sequence observed in spring. Migratory birds react differently in spring and autumn to weather changes: if spring cooling delays the passage, then autumn colds speed it up, forcing the birds to shorten their stops. Weather conditions in autumn also affect the placement of birds. For example, in cloudy warm weather, the little flycatcher, redstart, robin, willow warbler and some other forest birds feed in the forest, and on clear sunny days after night frosts, these same birds gather food exclusively on sunlit edges, where elevated temperatures cause higher temperatures. and prolonged activity of insects.
In September, the intensity of bird migration through the Middle Don region reaches its maximum and noticeably decreases in October, when the species wintering here begin to arrive - bullfinch, tap dance, yellow-headed kinglet, gray shrike, waxwing, etc. At the same time, due to the appearance of migrants from more northern territories the number of such “sedentary” species as the long-tailed tit, pika, nuthatch, gray crow is increasing. In mid-November, the migration of the last flying birds ends: geese, thrushes, rooks; the migration to the south of the common bunting, the field sparrow begins. And again, the avifauna enters a period of long-term relative stabilization, which is characteristic of winter.
Thus, seasonal phenomena in nature, leading to a change in the state and activity of birds, ultimately determine the quantitative relationships between individual groups of species in the same area in different periods of the year.
Nina Alexandrovna Volkova
Bird watching in March on a walk with older preschool children
Volkova N.A. Birdwatching on a walk in March.
Bird behavior in spring (nesting)
March 1 week
h4]Observation "What do sparrows sing about on the last day of winter?"
Tasks. Summarize children's ideas about the life of birds in the winter. Expand knowledge about sparrows. Raise a caring attitude towards birds.
Conversation.
According to the forest calendar, now is the month of "be patient until spring." Why do you think it's called that?
What do sparrows sing about
On the last day of winter?
- We survived! We survived!
We are alive, we are alive!
V. Berestov
Why do sparrows sing on the last day of winter “We have survived! We survived! We are alive, we are alive!
Why is it difficult for birds to find food in winter?
Why do birds often die in winter?
How do we help birds survive the winter?
What changes have taken place in nature?
Why is life easier for birds now than in winter?
What changes have occurred in the behavior of sparrows in the spring?
Today is the last day of winter, tomorrow spring will come according to the calendar. The sun warms more strongly, the day becomes longer, the sparrows rejoice, chirp cheerfully.
Let's remember how birds lived in winter.
Sparrows and doves
They came to visit, // Running in a circle, flapping your arms (wings).
Sad, frowning
They sat on the birch. // sit down, stand up
The paws were raised
Warmed with feathers. // stand on one leg
The grains were looking for
Didn't see anything // Tilt, straighten up, shrug.
We made feeders
The birds were invited. // They hit fist on fist.
We are glad to winter birds,
We'll give them food. // Imitation, scatter food.
March 2 weeks
Target walk in the square (park) "On Ivanov's day, birds acquire nests." (March 9)
Tasks. To form children's interest in folk signs. To expand knowledge about the adaptation of birds to their habitat, about the behavior of birds in the spring (nesting). Develop curiosity, observation.
The story of the teacher (in the group, before the walk).
According to the folk calendar, March 9 is Midsummer's Day. Folk signs say that on Ivanov's day the bird finds a nest. What do you think this means?
It acquires, that is, the bird looks for a place for a nest, begins to build.
The purpose of our walk: the behavior of birds in March. Only the most attentive and observant children will notice changes in the behavior of birds. Let's remember the rules of bird watching.
In the park, walking along the paths, draw the attention of children to birds. Ask the children to tell what they know about this bird, to complete the story of the children. Encourage those children who do not make noise, do not run, but calmly watch the birds.
Remind the children that wintering birds still need human help.
Funny exercises "Wintering birds".
In the group after the walk, invite the children to talk about their observations. If the child does not remember the name of the bird, ask him to describe it. Thank the children who noticed something unusual, interesting.
The teacher's story. In spring, sparrows roar - they share nesting places. On Midsummer's Day, birds find a nest. They acquire, that is, they begin to build nests. People help the birds: they fix old birdhouses in the gardens, build new ones. A popular sign says that if birds build their nests on the sunny side, the summer will be cold.
March 3 weeks
The story of the teacher "Why do they say so" Rook on the mountain - so spring is in the yard ""
Tasks. Support children's interest in folklore. Enrich children's ideas about birds. Develop thinking, attention, memory.
Conversation.
Look carefully around you, what birds do you see?
Recently I heard such a folk sign "Rook on the mountain - so spring is in the yard." Why do you think they say that?
Rook - who is this?
There is still snow in the fields, but the first thaw patches have already appeared. In the spring, in the old days, small children ran through the streets, called rooks.
Rooks - Kirichi
Fly, fly
friendly spring
Carry, carry!
Rooks are our first spring guests. As soon as the sun warms, brooks murmur, thawed patches bloom in the fields, you look - and the rooks have already arrived from warm countries. Here they are, black as coals, walking around the thawed patches, swarming in the thawed earth: either they will find a grain, or they will dig out a root. In early spring, rooks do not have a very satisfying life.
But a week or another will pass, the fields will dry up, the farmers will come out to plow the land. Here the rooks have the most expanse: they walk in a whole flock after the plow, choose various larvae, bugs, slugs from fresh arable land. Well done, rooks! After all, all these beetles and larvae are our enemies. Although they are small, they do great harm - they spoil the bread. Therefore, the Russian people respect the rook.
Observant people know that if the rooks, having arrived, immediately begin to repair their nests, then spring will be fast and friendly. But if the birds, after sitting on the nests for a short time, take off again, the cold will last for several more days. Farmers used rooks as a kind of sowing calendar: if the birds sat on the nests, then in a week you can go out into the field.
Do you think it is possible to see a rook in the city?
Why do rooks live closer to villages?
Rooks feed on worms, insects, so they settle where it is easier to find food for themselves.
Fun exercises "Rooks".
Rooks flew into the field,
Worms were looked for everywhere. // Wave your arms, tilt, straighten up.
It is important to walk across the field,
Not one was missed. //
Walking in place, with a high knee (hip) lift.
They took off together
They flew to the trees. //
Start building nests
Twigs are collected. // Leaning forward.
These are the good guys
Black rooks. // Hands on the belt, turn the body to the right, turn to the left.
March 4 weeks
Observation "Every bird sings in its own way."
Tasks. To form realistic ideas of children about birds. To develop the auditory attention and perception of children, the ability to distinguish the voices of birds by ear. Raise a caring attitude towards birds.
Conversation.
Look carefully around you, what birds do you see?
I hear a bird singing. I wonder what bird hid in the tree. And what do you think?
Children listen to birdsong.
Can you tell by the song of the bird which bird is hiding in the tree?
Target. Exercise in the ability to distinguish the voices of birds, form verbs from onomatopoeia.
Management.
Guess which bird makes these sounds:
"Chick-chirp, chi-chi-chi"? (Sparrow). What does a sparrow do? (chirps).
"St-str, cha-cha-cha!"? (Magpie). What does a magpie do? (chirp).
"Kar-kar"? (Crow). What does a crow do? (Caws).
"Svir-svir"? (Whistle). What does the waxwinger do? (whistling)
"Rum-rum-rum"? (Bullfinch). What does a bullfinch do? (Rumit).
Every bird sings in its own way. By the singing of a bird, you can find out which bird hid not far from us. Rooks, greeting each other, shout "Kah" or "Collapse".
Fun exercises "Rooks".
Invite the children to watch the birds during the walk.
At the end of the walk, ask the children to share their observations.
Thank those children who actually watched the birds.
Study "Can Migratory Birds Return Home?"
Tasks. To form realistic ideas of children about birds. Clarify and expand ideas about migratory birds, about the life of birds in the spring. Raise a caring attitude towards birds.
Research progress.
Can migratory birds return home?
Or is it better for them to stay in the south?
Give me the exact answer
Return them, or not.
Question: Is it possible for migratory birds to return home. Find out if there is food for birds. Is the assignment clear?
Bird watching rules.
Birds are very shy, so you need to be very quiet and not make noise.
You can not run up to the birds, you prevent them from resting or eating.
You can’t throw stones or sticks at birds, they are alive, they hurt.
Conclusion. The earth has thawed, worms can be found in it, insects appear. Migratory birds can return home.
The teacher's story. In early spring, the heralds of spring, starlings, return to their native lands from warm countries. The starling is a large, beautiful bird. The plumage of the starling is black, with a metallic sheen. Looking closely, you can see purple and greenish tints in the plumage. The feathers of the starling are covered with white spots. The beak is long and sharp, yellow in spring, and darkens in autumn. Legs are reddish brown.
Arriving home, starlings sit on branches near their houses - birdhouses and joyfully, loudly sing, welcoming their native forests and fields. The song of the starling is beautiful, sonorous. Starlings skillfully imitate the voices of many birds. Then suddenly the starling will let out a nightingale ringing trill, then it will quack like a wild duck.
Starlings are never idle. They protect our fields, gardens, orchards, they are true friends of man. All day long, starlings run along the paths in the garden, looking under each leaf, hunting in the field, in the forest, in the clearing, collecting food for the chicks. Starlings are omnivores. In spring and summer they feed on insects, worms, caterpillars, spiders, and in late summer they switch to plant foods, eating various seeds and fruits.
Starlings
Starlings have arrived -
Young spring messengers
Worms they peck
And sing, sing, sing!
Shorygina T. A.
Teacher's story Folk holiday "Larks". (March 22)
Tasks. Enrich children's ideas about birds. To form an idea of folk cultural traditions. Develop thinking, attention, memory.
Conversation.
lark
The dark forest glowed in the sun,
In the valley of steam, thin whitens,
And sang an early song
Sings, sparkling in the sun:
Spring came to us young,
Here I sing the arrival of spring.
V. A. Zhukovsky
The lark is an inconspicuous gray-brown bird, as small as a sparrow. The lark is famous for its singing. In early spring, when there is still snow on the fields, the lark sings its song. Rapidly soaring into the sky, fluttering its wings, soaring higher and higher, the lark disappears into a radiant blue. The ringing song of the lark is amazingly beautiful.
March 22 - an old folk holiday - Larks. According to popular belief, it was believed that on this day larks return to their homeland, and other migratory birds fly after them.
In the morning, the housewives kneaded the dough, made lark cookies, baked them in the oven, and treated the children. They treated me and said, "The larks have arrived, they have sat on the heads of the children." The children of the lark raised up, ran into the field, called for spring.
Larks, come
Take away the winter to the student,
Bring warm spring:
We are sick of winter
We ate all the bread!
And they asked the lark for happiness and health.
Larks, larks!
Fly over the sea
Bring health
To whom a crumb, to whom a spoon,
And a whole cake for me!
Game "Lark".
Children stand in a circle. A child (lark) walks around the circle with a bell, pronouncing the words:
In the sky the lark sang, the bell rang,
Frolic in silence, hid the song in the grass,
Whoever finds the song will be happy for a whole year.
Children close their eyes, the driver hides the bell in the group. Children open their eyes, look for a bell. The one who finds it first raises the bell and says "I am a lark!". The game is repeated.
Observation "Migratory birds".
Tasks. To form realistic ideas of children about birds. Learn to establish causal relationships between natural phenomena and the life of birds. Clarify and expand children's ideas about migratory birds, about the life of birds in the spring. Raise a caring attitude towards birds. To develop interest in changes in the nature of the native land.
Conversation.
Look carefully around you, what birds do you see?
Why do many birds fly away to warmer climes in autumn?
Insectivorous birds flew away because the food they ate was gone: insects. Waterfowl flew away because the rivers and lakes where they fed were frozen.
Spring has come. Do you think migratory birds will return home?
Why do you think migratory birds will return home?
What migratory birds do you know?
What migratory birds have already returned from warm countries? ( rooks, starlings, larks)
Spring has come. Insects appear, so insectivorous birds return to their homeland. Rooks arrived first, followed by starlings and larks. And soon other birds will arrive.
From the midday rays
A stream ran from the mountain, // Running in a circle.
And a small snowdrop
Grew up on a thaw. //
Starlings return -
Hard workers and singers, // Running in a circle, wave your arms (wings).
Sparrows at the puddle
They circle in a noisy flock. // They circle in place.
G. Ladonshchikov
Invite the children to watch the birds during the walk.
At the end of the walk, ask the children to share their observations.
Thank those children who actually watched the birds.
Target walk in the square (park) "Behavior of birds in spring".
Tasks.
The walk starts in the yard kindergarten. Remember the rules of conduct on the target walk.
Starlings have arrived -
Young spring messengers
Worms they peck
And sing, sing, sing!
Shorygina T. A.
The purpose of our walk: the behavior of birds in spring. Only the most attentive and observant children will notice not only pigeons and sparrows, but also many other birds that flew to our city in the spring. During the trip, you need to carefully watch the birds. Let's remember the rules of bird watching.
Bird watching rules.
Birds are very shy, so you need to be very quiet and not make noise.
You can not run up to the birds, you prevent them from resting or eating.
You can’t throw stones or sticks at birds, they are alive, they hurt.
IN park, walking along the paths, draw the attention of children to birds. Ask the children to tell what they know about this bird, to complete the story of the children. Encourage those children who do not make noise, do not run, but calmly watch the birds.
Fun exercises "The singers are returning."
From the midday rays
A stream ran from the mountain, // Running in a circle.
And a small snowdrop
Grew up on a thaw. //
Sit down, stand up, hands up, through the sides down (a flower opens).
Starlings return -
Hard workers and singers, // Running in a circle, wave your arms (wings).
Sparrows at the puddle
They circle in a noisy flock. // They circle in place.
G. Ladonshchikov
At the end of the walk, invite the children to share their observations. If the child does not remember the name of the bird, ask him to describe it. Thank the children who noticed something unusual, interesting.
Conclusion. In spring, all nature comes to life. Birds rejoice at the onset of warm weather. They sing songs, look for nesting sites, some birds build their own nests.
Research "What are sparrows doing?"
Tasks. To expand children's knowledge about the adaptation of birds to their habitat, about the behavior of birds in the spring (nesting). Form realistic ideas about birds. Raise a caring attitude towards birds.
Research progress.
What did spring give the birds?
What has changed in their lives?
We will unravel the secrets of birds,
We learn something new.
Exercise: watch the birds. Find out: what are the sparrows doing, what kind of business do they have in the spring. Is the assignment clear? (children's answers).
Let's remember the rules of bird watching.
Bird watching rules.
Birds are very shy, so you need to be very quiet and not make noise.
You can not run up to the birds, you prevent them from resting or eating.
You can’t throw stones or sticks at birds, they are alive, they hurt.
Ornithologists start researching.
At the end of the walk, invite the children to share their observations. Thank the children who noticed something unusual, interesting.
Conclusion. Sparrows chirp loudly, collect twigs, blades of grass, shreds, pieces of paper from the ground, and all this is carried to the trees.
The teacher's story.
In the second half of March, sparrows break into pairs and start building nests. Building a nest is no easy task. Birds fly, fuss, drag feathers, pieces of cotton wool, dry blades of grass in their beaks, quarrel over a patch and chirp loudly. A pair of sparrows build a nest together.
The study "What has changed in the behavior of birds in spring?"
Tasks. To form realistic ideas of children about birds. Clarify and expand knowledge about the life of birds in the spring. Raise a caring attitude towards birds.
Research progress.
What did spring give the birds?
What has changed in their lives?
We will unravel the secrets of birds,
We learn something new.
Question: what has changed in the behavior of birds in spring. Find out: how birds behave in spring and why they behave this way. Is the assignment clear? (children's answers).
Let's remember the rules of bird watching.
Bird watching rules.
Birds are very shy, so you need to be very quiet and not make noise.
You can not run up to the birds, you prevent them from resting or eating.
You can’t throw stones or sticks at birds, they are alive, they hurt.
Ornithologists start researching.
At the end of the walk, invite the children to share their observations. Thank the children who noticed something unusual, interesting.
Conclusion. The sun shines brighter in spring, warms more strongly, there is a lot of heat and light. Birds enjoy the warmth, sing songs, build nests.
The teacher's story.
Birds are caring parents. In the spring, males look for a nesting place for their family, and they attract females by singing. Birds build nests together. The nest is a bird house. Different birds build nests in their own way, but most often the nest resembles a bowl woven from branches and grass. Inside the nest is lined with fresh grass and down. Some birds build nests on tree branches to hide it among the foliage, others on the ground hide their nests in the grass.
Large birds, such as eagles, storks, build nests from thick branches. It looks like it's just a bunch of garbage. But inside the nest is lined with soft grass and down. There are real masters among the birds. For example, some swallows dig minks for themselves in the clay shore with their paws, others mold their nest - a basket of damp earth and saliva and attach the nest to the roof of the house.
And the little bird Remez weaves its nest from fluff, wool, grass. Remez's nest is similar to a mitten, only instead of a thumb there is an entrance to the nest. In such a nest, the chick is warm and safe. No predator will get the chicks.
Observation "Why do birds live next to people?"
Tasks. To form realistic ideas of children about birds. Learn to establish cause and effect relationships between environment and bird life. Clarify and expand children's knowledge about the life of birds in the spring. Raise a caring attitude towards birds.
Conversation.
Look carefully around you, what birds do you see?
In spring, forest birds return home to the forest to build nests and raise chicks.
Why don't sparrows and doves fly away from the cities to the forest in spring?
Where do you think sparrows and doves build their nests in the city?
City sparrows build their nests under the canopy of the entrance or balcony. Gray pigeons build their nests under roofs, in attics, on the eaves of stone houses, in niches among stucco decorations.
Where is it easier to find food: in the forest or near people?
Where do more birds of prey and animals live: in the forest or in the city?
What predatory animals threaten the birds in the city?
And who, except for cats, can destroy the nest, destroy the chicks?
Birds live near people because they are protected from predators, they have food and secluded places where they can build a nest in the spring. People should protect birds and bird nests.
Fun exercises "The singers are returning."
Invite the children to watch the birds during the walk.
At the end of the walk, ask the children to share their observations.
Thank those children who actually watched the birds.
Conversation-reflection "Why do migratory birds return to their native lands?"
Tasks. Encourage children's attempts to share a variety of impressions with the teacher and other children, clarify the source of the information received. Enrich the speech of children, activate thinking. To consolidate children's ideas about birds. Cultivate love for the motherland.
Conversation.
Look carefully around you, what birds do you see?
Cranes,
Where did you lead your way?
Where did they fly?
"We are in foreign skies,
We are in wonderful forests
We have been."
Tell, cranes,
Like on the other side of the earth
Wintered.
We are in a distant land
On the home side
Yearned."
Platon Voronko
Warm lands, wonderful forests, why do birds return to their native lands, to where they were born? (children's answers)
The teacher listens to the opinion of all children, specifying the source of the information received.
And what migratory birds will return to our region?
Zhura-zhura-crane!
He flew over a hundred lands.
Flew, circled
Wings, legs worked hard.
We asked the crane:
Where is the best land? -
He answered, flying:
- There is no better native land!
Platon Voronko
A wise folk proverb says "Everyone has his own side." Birds always return to their native lands, to where they were born.
The teacher's story.
Cranes fly like a wedge and chirp loudly, greeting their native lands. After a little rest after a long flight, the cranes looked around, walked on high legs, as if on stilts through the swamp and began to search, lowering their long beak into the swamp water, worms, bugs, frogs and tadpoles.
In spring, cranes arrange games and dances. The crane approaches the crane, stands in front of it and bows, nods its head, inviting to dance. A crane with a crane jump, squat, move their legs, flap their wings. At first the birds dance slowly, and then faster and faster. Soon a flock of cranes gathers from all over the swamp, the birds form a circle around the dancing couple, and then, unable to resist, they themselves start a merry dance.
To us, in the Chelyabinsk region, white cranes, common cranes and demoiselle cranes fly from warm lands. Demoiselle Crane is a rare bird, it is listed in the Red Book.
Improvisation "Dance of the Crane".
Imagine that you are cranes. You dance with your knees high, jumping, squatting, kicking, flapping your wings. Slowly at first, then faster and faster.
